


Highway Hypnosis

by Dftba99



Category: Silicon Valley (TV)
Genre: Highway Hypnosis, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-20
Updated: 2015-06-20
Packaged: 2018-04-05 07:43:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4171623
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dftba99/pseuds/Dftba99
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Road trips have a very interesting effect on Richard. Richard has a very interesting effect on Jared.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Highway Hypnosis

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm just posting all of the fics from my tumblr to this account so that they're all in the same place.

Jared would be the first to admit that his social skills are not his strongest quality. He always seems to cross the boundaries of what would be called 'normal interaction' into some weird territory that makes everyone uncomfortable.

So he was incredibly nervous about taking a road trip alone with Richard. 

Technically it wasn't really a road trip. There was an important business conference in Monterey and it would greatly benefit Pied Piper for them to attend. Thankfully it wasn't overnight and most of the workshops would separate them. But, it was also a good hour and a half from Palo Alto, which meant 3 hours on the road total.

Alone.

With richard.

He'd asked the others several times to join them, he'd even considered making it mandatory. But erlich had to help Jian yang with his app, carla and dinesh had prior engagements, and gilfoyle said that he'd rather be fellated by a shark. So it seemed that Jared was doomed to spend three horrendously awkward hours with his boss.

Admittedly, there were many worse people to be stuck with for an extended period of time. After all, jared had begun feeling a very strong...fondness for richard. He was always focusing on keeping his dream alive. He was so driven, so tenacious. And when he took charge of a situation......

But no. This was simply professional admiration. 

"Alright jared. Ready to hit the road?"

Jared had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed richard approaching until he was right beside him.  
"Oh. Uh, yes I suppose so."

Jared offered to drive multiple times, but richard was very insistent. 

"I actually really like driving," Richard said as he shifted gears. "Being behind the wheel- I don't know, it makes me feel like I know what I'm doing, you know? Like I'm in control."

Hearing richard talk about being in charge like that sent jared's mind drifting. He wondered what other situations richard wanted to take control of.

"That probably sounds stupid, I don't know."

Jareds mind came back to reality. He felt his face become hot, but if he was blushing, richard didn't notice. Yes. Professional admiration.

"What? No. It's not stupid! I mean, I understand what you're saying." Great, five minutes in and he'd already said something embarrassing. Just terrific.

They sat in very uncomfortable silence for a good ten minutes before richard hooked his phone up to the stereo. He put his library on shuffle and told jared that he could skip whatever he didn't like.

Jared had heard a small sampling of Richard's music while he was working. Normally loud electronic songs to keep him focused. Jared had always just assumed that this was the type of music he enjoyed. So, needless to say, he was surprised by the variety of genres richard had to offer. From Hank Williams Jr. to Kendrick Lamar and everything in between. Jared was too fascinated to even consider skipping anything.

The most surprising thing, however, was the effect driving was having on Richard. In the many months jared had spent working with him, he had never seen richard so, well, loose. His posture was much more relaxed than usual. Leaned back, one hand on the wheel, the other on the center console. He had apparently known they'd be driving into the sun, and had brought sunglasses to combat the glare. 

Perhaps the most shocking thing was that Richard 'i-will-throw-up-if-you-look-at-me-weird' Hendriks was smiling, laughing, even singing. It was all very strange and adorable. Adorable? No. Their relationship was strictly business. Professional admiration. That was all. And he continued to tell himself that when their hands would brush against eachother on the console or when they'd reach for the volume knob at the same time. When richard began to tap the beat of a song against his thigh, jared simply took a deep breath and looked away. 

When they were nearly to Monterey, jared was sad that their trip would be ending so soon. But he reminded himself that they would be driving back home after the conference, and set his mind to looking forward to the workshops ahead of him. He looked over to richard and was about to comment on what a nice time he was having when he realized that richard was incredibly pale and his hands were shaking a little. He had been very quiet for the past few minutes, but jared thought he was just daydreaming.

"Richard?" Jared said nervously. Richard made no response. "Richard are you alright?"

"Jared what would happen if we didn't go to the conference?" Richard's voice was uneasy and jared could sense that he'd been thinking about this for a while.

"Well, um, our involvement with this conference would be very beneficial to the company, at least from a networking standpoint," Richard let out a sigh. "B-but if it's the prospect of having to spend more time with me that's making you reluctant to go, allow me to assure you that CEOs and business personnel-"

"What? Jared. No. It has nothing to do with- what I mean is that you're not- I want to spend time with you okay? It's just..."

Richard was reverting to his usual self. He was sweating and shaking and he was suddenly much less sure of himself. It was kind of disappointing. Jared liked seeing richard so happy for once. 

Richard took a deep breath. "See this is why I never let myself drive. I get this really weird wanderlust from it and I can't stop thinking about just like, going, you know? Like, what if I just went right past the conference? What if I never stopped?"

At this point richard took jared by surprise yet again by taking jared's )hand into his own and squeezing it. 

"We could do it jared. Just you and me. And we could just keep going until we ran out of gas and then we could just stay wherever we ended up. No more sleepless nights from stress. No more worrying about our company survivng another day. No more being afraid of saying how we feel. We could be free and we'd never have to hear the name Pied Piper again and-"

"Pull over." Jared's voice was surprisingly firm, especially considering how afraid he was. 

Richard reluctantly pulled to the side of the road. Jared could tell that richard was crying behind his sunglasses. 

"Richard," Jared began to rub circles into his wrist. He could feel him relaxing a little. "I know that the last few months have been...difficult for you. I know you've been really overwhelmed with-" he hesitated, thinking that saying the phrase 'Pied Piper' would be a lot like saying 'Beetlejuice' "Everything. But all this stuff- all the stress and anxiety and sleeplessness- it's all gonna pay off in the end. And then you'll be a success! You'll be 'making the world a better place' Richard breathed out a small laugh.

"Everything is going to change for you richard. Your life is going to be amazing. You just have to get through this. I promise it'll all be worth it. And hey, you'll have me to help you through it. At this, richard looked at jared and smiled weakly. Jared couldn't help but think about what richard had been rambling on about, 'No more being afraid of saying how we feel' had he meant that he....professionally admired jared? No. He didn't need to think about that. Not while his CEO was so vulnerable.

"Look. What I think would be best for you right now is to take a little bit of time off. I saw a small bed and breakfast up the road a ways. You could stay there for a night or two. Clear your head, get some rest-"

"Why are you so good to me?" Richard had removed his glasses and was starring directly into jared's eyes. Jared felt like he could melt.

"W-well, I um. I care very deeply about the work that you're doing, richard. I think it's going to revolutionize the way the tech world operates. I just want to help you achieve as much as you can."Jared avoided Richard's gaze, staring at the road outside his window. 

"Is that all? Just my company?"

"Well I suppose I consider you...a friend."

"Jared," Richard grabbed his chin and turned his head to face him. Jared could hardly breathe.

"Maybe I'm crazy. I don't know. But sometimes I see you at work and I just feel like- like there's something that we both know, you know? But for some reason, neither of us are saying it and I just- I can't keep acting like I don't know it."

The next thing Jared knew, Richard was kissing him. And jared couldn't keep lying to himself, he'd wanted this all along. He'd been trying so hard not to dream of this moment but he had. And now it was finally happening and he never wanted it to end. He felt Richard's hand move to his cheek. Jared was a little worried that he wasn't quite as good a kisser as richard, but he didn't seen to have any complaints. Richard moved to pepper kisses on jared's neck and collarbone. Jared was already breathing heavily and asking for more and god he feels like such a slut, making out with his boss on the side of the road. But just as things were starting to get heated, richard pulled away.

"We should go. Don't want to be late."

The next few hours are like hell. Jared never thought he would be bored during a seminar about team building techniques, but all he could think of was richard and those soft lips.

While jared has absolutely no qualms with the notion of having sex in the back of a car, richard insists that their first time be indoors. 

"Besides," he says, "do you really want to do it in the aviatomoblie? I mean, it's erlich's."

The ride home is agonizing. Seeing richard so comfortable on the road was such a turn on and jared is pretty sure he's teasing him because he keeps taking very elaborate detours just to make the drive take longer. 

The second they enter the incubator, richard is pulling jared down by his shirt and kissing him roughly while leading him to his bedroom.

"Good conference then?" Gilfoyle asks.

"Maybe we should've gone after all." Dinesh mumbles as Richard shuts his door behind them.


End file.
